Aleksandra Sławińska participated in 10th edition of the international “Vaccine Technology Course” in Llafranc, Spain

Aleksandra Sławińska, a PhD student supervised by Katarzyna Grzyb, from the Department of Molecular Biology of Viruses participated in the 10th edition of the international “Vaccine Technology Course”, organized by the European Society for Animal Cell Technology (ESACT). The course took place on 22–27 September 2024 in Llafranc, Spain.

The program was designed for young scientists, PhD students, and professionals from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries interested in the latest developments in vaccine design, production, and quality control.

The course, coordinated by Dr. Yvonne Genzel (Max Planck Institute, Germany) and Dr. Laura Cervera Gracia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), covered a broad range of topics including immunology, virology, upstream and downstream processing, biosafety, formulation, and regulatory aspects of vaccine development.

Lectures and workshops were delivered by distinguished experts such as Dr. Catherine Green (University of Oxford, co-developer of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine), Dr. Pere-Joan Cardona (UAB, specialist in tuberculosis immunopathogenesis), Dr. Philippe-Alexandre Gilbert (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expert in global vaccination strategies), Dr. Cristina Peixoto (iBET, Portugal, specialist in viral bioprocessing), as well as representatives from GSK, Sanofi Pasteur, HIPRA, and ProBioGen.

Throughout the week, participants attended lectures and case studies on topics such as basic virology and immunology for antigen design, cell lines and biosafety in vaccine production, upstream and downstream process development, and case studies on vaccines against influenza, tuberculosis, and yellow fever. Special sessions were also devoted to mRNA vaccines, VLP-based platforms, and technology transfer to GMP facilities.

Participation in the course allowed to expand theoretical and practical knowledge of advanced vaccine production technologies and to build professional connections within the international scientific and industrial community.